


Local Issues

by LaurelCanyon



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22124371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaurelCanyon/pseuds/LaurelCanyon
Summary: Andi Mack's friends find a disturbing article about Andi's grandfather and discuss whether or not to tell her.No explicitness.  In fact, it's kind of like an After School Special.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	Local Issues

Jonah sat in The Spoon across the table from Cyrus and TJ.

“So do we tell Andi?” TJ asked.

“What do you mean, do we tell Andi?” Cyrus asked. “I am sure she knows.” But then he became less sure, “I mean, they wouldn’t keep that from her.”

“They lied to her about who her own mother was,” TJ reminded his new boyfriend.

“Oh yeah,” Cyrus said despondently. The little side of his lip came up like it did when he was upset. TJ found it adorable, but he was still too new at letting himself admit such things to himself to verbalize it.

“Let me see it again,” Cyrus said after a moment’s silence. Jonah handed Cyrus his phone. It was on the website of a local Shadyside TV station.

“LOCAL MAN CONVICTED ON SEX TOURISM CHARGES,” it read. And underneath that was a picture of Andi’s grandfather -- the man she had grown up thinking was her dad. It was a bad picture. His face was serious, more serious than anyone could remember the guy ever being in real life. He had always had a smile on his face, always seemed chill and at ease. This man was tired and scared. If the name hadn’t been the same, Cyrus would have wondered if it was really the same guy.

But the article left no doubt.

“Shadyside resident Ham Beck, 48, was convicted yesterday after pleading guilty to travelling to a foreign country for the purposes of unlawful sexual contact with a minor. The charges stem from a trip he undertook earlier this year to southeast Asia. A greater charge of unlawful sexual contact with a minor was dismissed as part of a plea bargain. Sources say Mr. Beck was recorded entering a known child brothel. A search warrant revealed that prior to his trip, Mr. Beck had searched terms related to child sex tourism locations. Mr. Beck was apprehended at his residence shortly after he returned and has remained in custody since then despite being offered bail. Sentencing will handed down next month.”

“Child brothel,” TJ said. “What exactly does that mean?”

Cyrus wore his most serious face, the face he wore when he knew an answer but didn’t want to have to be the one to give it, “it’s somewhere people go to have sex with little kids.”

All three of the boys averted their eyes from each other. A passerby would’ve thought they had all got food poisoning at the same time.

“That’s why I don’t know what to do,” Jonah said finally. “This is really messed up. Andi’s grand-dad was always such a nice guy. Do you think maybe they got it wrong?”

“He pled guilty,” said Cyrus. “And they have video. And internet searches.”

“Why would someone even -- I mean --” TJ couldn’t finish his thought. “I don’t think it’s real.”

“Oh, it’s real alright. Disgusting. But real,” Cyrus said. Cyrus had grown up among psychologists, so he’d heard of this kind of stuff before. People who did really gross stuff to little kids. He just had never known anyone like that before. Or at least, he hoped he hadn’t. Mr. Beck had seemed so perfectly friendly and normal, it made Cyrus realize it was impossible to know.

“I don’t think we tell Andi,” Cyrus finally said. “She’s about to start SAVA, her parents are back together, she’s in a real happy place right now. Besides, I think her grandmother probably knows. She’s the one who told everyone Mr. Beck went back to India all of a sudden. That’s got to be when he got arrested. If she doesn’t want Andi to know, we shouldn’t tell her.”

“But guys,” Jonah said, interrupting Cyrus. “What if he did something -- to Andi?”

This stopped the conversation cold. There was anger now in each of the boys eyes. It hit Cyrus the hardest. He hadn’t even considered that. He had known Andi since they were little -- really little -- and the idea that day after day, night after night, his best friend had been sleeping under the same roof as someone who did that to little kids. It was hard to not just want to forget about, pretend like he didn’t know.

“I want to think Andi would’ve told me or maybe Buffy,” Cyrus said. “But I don’t know.”

“Would she tell her mom -- I mean her real mom?” TJ asked.

“I don’t know," said Jonah. " Would you want to tell your mom that her dad is --- whatever you call it.”

“A pervert,” Cyrus said. “A pedophile.”

The words hung in the air. Silence.

“We’re not saying anything,” Cyrus suddenly declared, and the other two boys trusted him enough to take his words to heart. “I don’t know if it is right or wrong, but I don’t think we should be the ones to tell her.” And with that it was settled. But no one felt like talking about anything else.

Amber sat at another table, counting up her tips. The boys thought they were being quiet enough, but teenage boys never are. Amber hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on something so serious, she only wanted to know what Jonah was doing at The Spoon. He had said he wasn’t going to be coming around anymore. But some places are just habit.

“Hi Amber,” Cyrus said as the three boys walked out morosely. Jonah just waved apologetically. She smiled back as if to say “no big deal.” 

Amber fought back tears as she got ready to leave herself. No, silly boys. Andi wouldn’t have told anyone. Just like Amber hadn’t told anyone about her own grandfather. It was something that happened, something you lived with. Something that no one could help with anyways. 

“Guys always think they can fix things,” Amber muttered to herself. Some things don’t get fixed. But of course people cared when it involved Andi.


End file.
